The Edward Elric Guide to Life
by jacksparrow589
Summary: A collection of EdWin oneshots that will tie together in the end. Fluffy, funny, occasionally slightly OOC, and very fun to write. Pre episode 25, but actually AR, due to some occurances. Please read and review! Rating for language. DISCONTINUED
1. How to Keep Cool

**The Edward Elric Guide to Keeping Cool**

"It's too hot!" Ed whined. "Stupid automail- why couldn't she have built a _fan_ into it or something?" Though he was missing both his arm and his leg due to having busted both of them, the late summer heat was still relentless.

Try though he did, nothing was working! He could not swim without half his limbs, and they weighed him down if they were attached. There was no wind, so even the shade was too hot. Pinako had told them to ration the ice, and woe to he who drew the ire of Pinako Rockbell.

At his wit's end, Ed had shed everything but his boxers, and was seriously considering cutting his hair so that it would not stick to the back of his neck. He wondered how in the world Winry dealt with her mass of hair…

An image of Winry in her customary black bandeau popped into Ed's head. It was all too easy to imagine…

"_Dammit, __**no**__!"_ he cried, now certain that he was blushing. Since when had Winry been so _attractive?_

_She is __**not,**__ Ed- get a __**grip**_ he mentally berated himself.

"Ed?" Winry called. "I need a measurement for your leg again! I can't find my notepad!"

_Noooo…._ Ed moaned mentally. He shook his head in an attempt to cool down. As it was, he hoped Winry would not notice anything off about him.

SCENE

Thankfully, she _was_ too absorbed in her work to notice.

"Ed, I know it's hot in the workshop, but can you _please_ not fidget like that?" Winry complained. To give him an incentive, she added, "The sooner you're done, the sooner you can leave."

He managed to keep still for the amount of time that Winry needed, but just barely. Still unused to the leg-on-lend, he nearly fell over rushing out the door.

If he had cared to look, however, he would have noticed that as Winry watched him leave, she blushed slightly. If he had cared to look, Winry's hands had had the tiniest of shakes as she measured. If he had cared to look, there was one corner of the worktable that was spotless, save for his picture.

Try though he might to deny it, something had changed.

WITH ED

"I don't get it! Why now?" Ed wondered aloud. "Why all of a sudden? It's never been like this before… has it?" He thought back to being ten, nine, back to six, when he and Al had first fought over who would marry Winry. He _had_ been rather sore about winning, and the rejection to both of them had not helped. "Damn it, it _has!_ Did she ever notice? What if… I never thought it was like that, but it is. Way to go, genius."

"Um, Brother? Who are you talking to?" Al asked. "There's nobody here."

"I _know_, Al. Is there a law against thinking aloud or something? I bet that the Colonel thought it up!" Ed was trying to cover his tracks, and he knew he was failing miserably. This was the absolute _worst _excuse he had thought of in a while.

Al knew it, too. "It's about Winry, isn't it?" If he could have smiled slyly, he would have.

"N-no!" Ed tried to control his blush. "I was thinking about the way that one array works-"

"Brother, you don't _need_ a circle," Al reminded him.

Ed froze, thinking of another excuse that might possibly help. "But you do," he muttered lamely.

Al sighed "Brother, I don't need help. Just admit it. Not to me- to Winry."

"Al, it's _not_ like that!" Ed explained hurriedly.

Twisting Ed's words back on him, Al quipped, "But it _is._ Way to go, _genius_," and left Ed sputtering incoherent excuses.

LATER

"Ugh- it's just too _hot_ in the shop. Ed, I've got to stop or the heat'll _kill_ me," Winry explained. "I'll make it up to you sometime, I _swear._"

Ed lay in the grass near where Winry had come to sit. He turned to half-glare at her lazily. "_You_ try having automail in hot weather. I guarantee you wouldn't be whining about working in a shop."

Winry smiled softly. "Still haven't found a way to cool down?"

"Not unless you've built fans into my automail," Ed hinted.

"I may be good, Ed, but I'm not _that_ good," Winry chided.

Ed sighed and moved his arm in search of some cooler grass upon which to lay it. Instead, his hand hit something soft and warm. It took him a minute to realize that it was Winry's hand. Only a second later did the thought jolt all of the afternoon's memories.

Winry showed no sign of discomfort with the position. She did not even say anything. It almost made Ed nervous.

_She__** did**__know, dammit!_ he cursed mentally. As much as Winry could be a pain, he did not like to make it worse. He preferred her happy, and not just because it meant he would not get clobbered with a wrench…

Neither moved for nearly fifteen minutes. Finally, Winry slid her hand out from under Ed's and stood. "I guess I should, um, get back to work on your arm and leg."

"Yeah… thanks…" Ed murmured. Suddenly, he missed the warmth.

The coolness that settled over him was not pleasant. It made him feel like he was missing something, and that the only remedy was to say something to her…

TWO MORNINGS LATER

Winry had pulled an all-nighter on Ed's leg and had gone to sleep before Pinako had even connected it.

Even through the pain, Ed could not help but smile at the sight of Winry asleep on the couch.

Thinking back to the feeling in his hand after Winry had left the other night, Ed realized that there were worse things than being too warm…

**A/N: Ah, the first installment of THE EDWARD ELRIC GUIDE TO LIFE. If any of you, any of you at all have read "The Roy Mustang Guide to Life", also by yours truly, you know kind of how this is going to go. If you haven't, it's basically just one-shots that could stand alone, but they are interconnected, especially toward the end. Well, and this is EdWin. The RMGTL is Royai. Um, yeah…**

**These ones are going to be separate from the themes of the RMGTL. Already, including this one and the end, I have eight thought up.**

**I'll try to update every few days, but it could be as long as a week between some of them. Just so you know.**


	2. How To Get Caught In the Rain

**The Edward Elric Guide to Getting Caught in the Rain**

"What do you_ mean_, you don't have the key!" Ed yelled as Winry frantically searched her pockets.

"I mean, I don't have the key, Ed! Don't ask stupid questions!" Winry shot back.

Ed sighed and leaned against the wall next to the door to the Rockbell home. "Can't you pick the lock with your tools or something? If Al's blood seal gets wet-"

"I _know_, Ed!" Winry cried. "I don't want to mess up Granny's lock, though. She'd kill me if a burglar got in! Automail costs money, you know!"

At the thought of the bill possibly being credited to him if he decided to break down the door, Ed blanched. He already paid enough for his automail as it was. Having to pay for the automail of twenty other people… he was getting dizzy.

"Um, I'll just go around to the shed- it's not a problem, really," Al offered, taking off without an answer.

"You'd better go, too, Ed- it could be a while," Winry sighed.

"Whatever." Ed prepared to run. "I'll check back in five minutes." He took off.

IN THE SHED

"Brother, what are you doing here?" Al demanded.

Ed removed his wet jacket and hung it on the door knob. "Winry told me that it could be a while. She can handle it, Al. She's worked with tools long enough-" a flash of lightning and the loud crack of thunder that followed interrupted them. The storm was now on top of them.

"Shit," Ed cursed. "If that hits the roof and Winry's working on the knob…"

They waited for a few minutes in silence, hoping that Winry would come to the shed and wait out the storm. Even if the shed was wood, it was shorter than the house, and less likely to be hit because of it. Both boys grew more and more anxious as the time passed.

"Al, you wanna go check on her?" Ed asked. "It's been five minutes, and I said I'd check back, but the lightning…"

Al would have glared at his older brother if he could have. "Brother, what can I do? If I have to carry her back or something and I get hit… even if she's just walking beside me, Winry could be seriously hurt! Anyway, you stand less of a chance of getting hit because you're so short!"

Ed shot his brother a warning glare, but he knew Al was right in terms of probability. He had always been the one to follow science, even if it stuck him with a metal arm and leg and a lack of height. Reluctantly, he got to his feet and exited the shed, making a mad dash for the porch.

SCENE CHANGE

Winry was cold, wet, and losing hope. The tools kept slipping from her hands, and they were steadily going numb, anyway. She did not even know if she would make it to the shed.

Suddenly, she felt something warm around her shoulders. Looking up, she found that Ed had placed his black jacket around her, leaving him with only his tank top to cover his torso. "Ed…"

"C'mon. We'll wait out the storm in the shed," he mumbled.

He helped her to her feet, looping an arm around his shoulder. "We should be quick about this. I know the probability isn't very high, but if lightning strikes…" Ed did not bother to complete the sentence.

Winry did not need him to. She nodded and began walking as fast as her legs could carry her.

A FEW HOURS LATER

"A..._choo!_" Winry's sneeze echoed through the mostly empty shed.

Ed groaned. "I hope this storm lets up soon."

There was silence for another few minutes. Lightening flashed yet again, but the thunder took longer than it ever had to reach their ears.

Now Winry yawned. Ed checked his watch. It was only eight, but he was sure that Winry had pulled some crazy sleep schedule last night working on his arm, which he had managed to wreck yet again. He had _really_ outdone himself this time. The coverings were completely missing, and most of the wires were corroded. He still would not say how it happened, but he considered himself lucky that it was his automail arm and not his real one.

Another yawn.

Ed sighed. The only things in the shed were metal parts for automail. He patted the ground next to him. "Scoot over. You fall asleep like that and you won't be able to bend your neck for a week. How's my automail gonna get done like that?"

Winry reluctantly took the offer, knowing that Ed really was not in a good mood, and he had already lent her his jacket, which she still had wrapped around her. She carefully placed her head on the offered shoulder and, immediately feeling like a little kid, muttered, "Thanks, Ed."

"Welcome," was the response.

A few minutes later, Winry was out, and every few seconds, Ed's glance shifted to the corner of his eye out of which he could see Winry.

Al made a sound that would have been clearing his throat that was just loud enough for Ed to hear.

Ed looked up. "What, Al?"

"You never said anything, did you?" the suit of armor asked.

"Of course I did! She thanked me, so I told her she was welcome!" Ed was annoyed.

Apparently, he was not the only one. "I don't mean then, Brother, I heard that. I mean last time, when I told you to." Al waited. "You didn't, did you?"

"Al, how many times do I have to tell you before you believe-"

Al cut him off matter-of-factly. "None, because it's useless. You know as well as I do that it's not true. You can't see the expression on your face when you look at her, but I can. It's not like one you give anybody else. You can't wait forever, Ed. Do you want her to wind up like Mom?"

Ed's eyes narrowed. "Say that again, Al? Are you comparing me to Dad?"

"So what if I am? You can't hurt me, and you wouldn't rub my seal off, would you?" Al had won, and he knew it. It was by no means the nicest way to get the results he wanted, but hopefully Ed would see the point.

"Dammit, Al, that's playing dirty!" Ed's volume had risen enough to make Winry stir.

"What's going on?" she mumbled, not opening her eyes.

Ed sighed. "Nothing. Al and I are just playing a mind game, you know. A guessing one. You can go back to sleep."

As soon as Ed was sure that Winry was asleep, Ed hissed, "Fine, I'll tell her."

"_Ed…_"

Ed moved his right shoulder to hold up his arm before he realized that it was not connected. "Alphonse Elric, if I'm lying, you reserve every right to call me a coward and I'll gladly own up to it. I swear on mom's grave that I'll tell her. Happy?"

Al sighed. "Fine."

"Good. Now let me get some sleep." Ed leaned back against the wall. Finding it too hard, he let his head loll to the left, where it came to rest on top of Winry's.

Looking at the perfect scene before him, Al almost wished that Lt. Colonel Hughes was there to snap a shot or five. _Brother, if you're lying, I'll tell her flat out. Maybe that'll knock some sense into you._

**A/N: Oh… Kinda semi-angsty, only not. I hope the ending was a bit lighter, even with all the heavy stuff before it. We all know how Ed hates to be compared to Hohenheim, so I thought Al might motivate him a little (okay, a LOT) by comparing him to Ed, if subtly. Ed knows when he's being called names, and hitting his pride works pretty well.**

**Oh, and Ed doesn't likely use his pocket watch to check the time. (I don't think he does in either the manga or the anime.) That was probably a one-time only thing, anyway.**


	3. How to Apologize

**The Edward Elric Guide to Apologizing**

**A/N: We're doing a scenario where Hughes isn't familiar with Winry. This is where the AR comes in, and it's pretty AR from here on out. A deviation from the manga and anime, if you will. If you like canon stories, here's your last chance to leave.**

Edward Elric hated the hospital. It reminded him that around him, so many were injured and dying. He did not need that reminder. It also took precious time from finding a way to create a Philosopher's Stone. The only good thing about hospitals was that when he was in them, he usually got to talk to _her._

Sure, it was usually loud and berating, but ed knew that Winry cared. That was why she yelled. That, and she really did _not_ like having to repair his automail every three weeks. It was tough _not_ to break it, though. Military duty was not the easiest thing in the world, and ed knew that his temper was partly to blame for his high medical bills, and even higher automail bills.

It was not often, but Winry sometimes cried when she came to see him. _Cried_. It was one of the most perplexing things about women. When that happened, Ed would usually have to console her in one way or another, but a hug was usually the best cure for crying, so his mother had told him.

And hugging is exactly what they were doing when Maes Hughes happened to walk in to visit Ed. Needless to say, he was surprised.

Hughes was so surprised, in fact, that he dropped all his photos of Elysia and whipped out a camera. He had his finger on the button when he realized that there was more to this hug than just, well, a hug. He realized that Winry was crying.

"Should I come back later?" he asked.

Ed and Winry were startled apart. Ed's features shifted into an expression of annoyance. "Major Hughes…" he hissed warningly. There really was not much he could do -he and Hughes were of the same rank- but it never hurt to be menacing when you wanted Hughes to keep a secret.

"Is everything okay?" he asked as Winry wiped her eyes.

"Depends on who you ask," Ed mumbled. "In this room, no, as a matter of fact. Couldn't you guess?"

Maes became somber. "Temper, Ed. I'm not here to take pictures or show them to you. At least, not now," he tried to joke. "I just want to know what's going on."

"I'll be right back. I need to use the rest room," Winry informed them.

Hughes took a seat by the bed. "So, Ed, what is it?"

Ed sighed. "She's my mechanic. We've been best friends ever since we were little. She and her grandmother, they have an automail business. When everything happened, Al took me to them. It's thanks to them that I'm even alive."

"Does she have a name?" Hughes asked, again trying to lighten the mood.

"Winry Rockbell."

Smiling softly, Hughes tried the name. "Winry, huh? Pretty name for a pretty girl. She seems tough, too, if she can work with automail. But Ed, just because she puts up a front doesn't mean that you can get out of anything when you break her automail. Ninety nine times of a hundred, you're in danger when you do, and she doesn't like that. People don't like it when the people they care about are hurt. It concerns them, Ed. It concerns her. Do you ever apologize?"

Ed looked at his sheets. "She never gives me time."

"Then _make_ time, Ed."

They sat in silence until Winry returned a moment later.

"Sorry about that." She gave Maes a tentative smile and stuck out her hand. "I'm Winry Rockbell."

Maes took the offered hand. "Maes Hughes. Pleased to meet you, Winry." He pulled a picture out of his pocket. "This is my family. My wife, Gracia, and my daughter Elysia. Aren't they just wonderful?"

Winry looked taken aback at the Major's sudden enthusiasm. "They look lovely, Mr. Hughes."

"I know!" Maes continued to rattle on until he looked at the clock. "Well, I have to go home now. Elysia misses me so much during the day, you know!"

After he left, Ed and Winry looked at each other, smiling.

"Sorry about that, Winry. He tends to get carried away. I think it's his way of lightening the mood, though it usually darkens the Colonel's." He chuckled.

Winry sighed. "Must be nice, having a family like that."

Ed followed suit with the sighing and nodded. "Yeah. He's mostly at a desk, too, so it's not often that he would be in the position of winding up like this, which brings me to my next point. Winry, I'm… sorry. I shouldn't be so reckless, I know, but I made the choice to leave home and join the military. Sometimes, I think it's stupid, but I have to stay for Al, and dangerous things happen and I- Wh-why are you crying now?"

"This is the first time you've apologized for this- for the past four years. I know I shouldn't be mad at you, Ed, but I get scared when you leave, and I get scared when you get hurt!" She threw her arms around him.

Ed slowly brought his arms around her back. "Yeah, I know. And that's why I'm apologizing. I really don't want it to be like this, but until I get Al's body and my arm and leg back, well, it's gonna happen. I'm glad that you're always there, though. I wouldn't trade you for any other mechanic in the world."

Winry continued to sob as Ed comforted her, gently patting her back. It was awkward at first. He was not used to comforting her like this. Still, it made him realize what he had.

He liked it, he really did, and he wanted it to remain this way forever.

His conversation with Al in the shed popped into his head. He decided against it now. He had had enough emotion for one day, and something told him that this was not the best time.

Eventually, things went back to usual. Ed got his rant about how he should drink milk, and got a wrench to the head when he would not drink. Yet, somehow, things had changed again. Winry was gentler, even with the wrench.

Ed decided that apologizing was his new favorite hobby.

**A/N: Whew! This should be called "Romance by Broken Automail"! Not every oneshot will involve it, I swear! It's just that some of them are inevitable.**

**Please review! What am I doing right? What could I do better? What might you like to see? I still haven't thought up two themes, you know. Maybe one of you has ideas!**


	4. How to Be a Gentleman

**The Edward Elric Guide to Being a Gentleman**

**A/N: Can you see Ed being a gentleman? I can't see him keeping it up. Let's see how it plays out…**

Ed did not consider himself to be a gentleman any more than he considered Winry to be a high-class lady. Both were short-tempered (Ed more so than Winry), very expressive of that temper to the point of violence, and both could curse a blue streak when they lost their temper.

Whether it was his conversations with Al and Hughes, his experiences with Winry, or something else entirely, Ed decided that he needed to be a bit nicer to her. Part of this decision was made so that when he told her how he felt, it did not come out of the blue.

During Winry's stay after she repaired Ed's arm (her train did not leave for two days), he started holding doors and pulling out chairs when he remembered. However, his body, unused to going through these motions, did not always remind him that he needed to, and catching himself without looking like an idiot was rarely doable.

Cursing was the hardest thing to break.

"Damn!" he whispered as, once again, he forgot to hold the door.

Again, he cursed silently when he was too slow to pull out a chair for her.

And when she paid for her own meal.

And when he just waved instead of saying, "Good night."

The list went on and on as Ed's annoyance with himself grew and grew. The more his annoyance grew, however, the more he forgot to be kind.

It all came apart the night before Winry was scheduled to leave as Ed and Al walked back to their apartment.

"I'm just not cut out for this, Al! I'm forgetting to be nice more and more, and I'm fed up with it! Dammit, this _isn't_ how it should be!" he fumed.

Al would have found it comical, but he knew that Ed really was making the effort to be a gentleman. That was why it had to be said. "I think she likes it better when you're _you_, Brother. That's the boy who was her friend- who is now, too. If she's treated in a way you've never treated her before, it probably makes her uncomfortable. I'm not saying to stop altogether, but don't do it so much."

Ed sighed and wove his fingers through the hair just above his braid, wincing as he yanked a bit of it. "Guess you're right, Al." Defeat darkened his tone.

"Brother, you're never going to be perfect, and trying only makes you frustrated," Al reasoned. "Just let Winry know you care in your usual way."

"I _have_ a usual way?" Ed raised his eyebrows.

Al nodded. "You know, where you pretend not to care, but you give in, anyway."

Ed complained, "You're making it sound like I'm a bad guy, Al!"

The suit of armor shrugged nonchalantly. "You're the one who acts like it."

Knocking his automail hand against Al, Ed ordered, "Quit it. We're back. I need to sleep."

Al shook his head. Someday, Ed would get it. Someday…

THE NEXT DAY

"I'm going to miss you, Ed, but knowing you, I'll be back soon enough," Winry guessed the next morning as she packed.

Ed groaned. "I promise I'll be careful, Winry."

Winry grinned. "You promise that _every_ time."

"I _mean_ it, Winry."

"You _mean_ it every time, too." Winry stopped. "I know you can take care of yourself, Ed, but that doesn't stop me from worrying, Ed. It just eases it."

"Glad to know I can do _some_thing right," Ed muttered.

Winry laughed. "Don't give me that- you do a lot of things right. I don't worry about that. I _worry_ when you _don't_ do it right and you get hurt."

Ed mumbled something.

"What, Ed?"

"Thanks," Ed said quickly. "Thanks for caring, I mean."

He may have imagined it, but it looked like Winry blushed. "It's nothing the others don't do."

"You care simply because you do, though. I don't think many other people do." Ed was now staring at her, blinking far less than he normally did, and it made Winry nervous.

Suddenly shy, she found her suitcase far more interesting than Ed. "Ed, you _know_ that's not true."

Ed sighed. "Whatever."

It was then that Winry chose to fling her arms around him. Ed staggered back for a moment, then hesitantly put his arms around her. Much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, he wished this moment could last far longer than it would. He felt safer than he ever had since his mother's death, even though Winry was not a mother to him, but something else.

"Hey, Winry…"

"Hmmm?"

"…You need to leave, or you'll miss your train," Ed finished sheepishly.

Pulling away, Winry's face fell. "Oh."

Ed cursed mentally. _Damn! I did it again! At least it was an honest excuse…_ But for some reason, that did not make Ed feel any better.

AT THE TRAIN STATION

Al hugged Winry. "Tell Granny we say hello."

Winry smiled. "Will do, Al."

The train whistle sounded. Winry picked up her bags and dashed aboard. As the train rolled away, she waved at Ed and Al, who waved back.

"Brother," Al began as they walked out of the station.

"Give it a rest, Al! I'm waiting for the right time! If I don't do it right, there's no point!" Ed exclaimed.

Al stopped dead. "You're _serious?"_

Ed gave his brother a look that would have meant a beating for any other person. "What do you mean, 'serious'? Of _course_ I am, Al! I'm not dense! I have to do this right! I don't know if you listen to the talk around headquarters or in the dorms, but a lot of guys _don't_ do it right. I'm not adding my name to theirs. Winry deserves better, anyway, so I have to give it all I've got."

It took a moment for Al to let that sink in. Of all the things Ed had ever been serious about in his life, girls had never been in the top five until recently.

But Ed was Ed, and, perfectionist that he was, he would not settle for less than one hundred percent of what he could give. Al had to admire that in his brother.

"Al!"

"Coming!"

"Hurry!"

It was times like this that Al knew that all he could do was trust Ed. Everything would go from there.

**A/N: I seem to have a trend of ending with Al's thoughts. However, his thoughts are good ones, so I don't see a problem with it. Later on, I'll start ending with the thoughts of Ed and Winry, though. I'm trying to set up the groundwork right now.**

**I'd say Ed and Al might have an apartment in Central. I mean, that is where Mustang is, and they report to him. They're just not there a lot. :)**


	5. How to Have a Snowball Fight

**The Edward Elric Guide to Snowball Fights**

**A/N: I am so sorry that I haven't updated in so long! sobs Girl Scout camp and babysitting took over my life for two weeks, but now I can keep writing!**

The one thing Ed liked about wintertime was the excuse to go home for his birthday.

Winry had been suspicious when he had called to tell her that he was coming back, but was overjoyed when he showed up, automail intact and needing only a regular tune-up.

This meant that, in the spirit of happiness, a snowball fight was to be held. They had always had them in the winter around Ed's birthday, as that was when it was cold enough to snow most years. Of course, it was every man for himself, and with Winry's throwing arm, she usually won, causing Ed to complain that she should let him win as a birthday present.

This year, Al decided not to join in, but just to watch to make sure that things did not get too reckless. ("I'm sixteen, Al! I can control my temper!" had been Ed's retort.) He had signaled for them to start, with the first to drop being the loser.

At first, Winry seemed to have the upper hand, but Ed got better at predicting her throws as he teased her.

It did not seem fair that Ed would use a cheap tactic to gain the lead, but Al had to let it slide. The rules prohibited only physical contact. Anything else was fair game.

Winry finally figured out Ed's strategy. Needless to say, it made her even angrier, but two could play _that_ game.

"I guess you want me not to throw right because you're so short that you need to get close enough to hit!" Winry jibed.

Ed stopped suddenly. "What did you call me?"

"You heard me!" Winry threw another snowball.

Dodging, Ed formed another snowball. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT A SINGLE SNOWFLAKE IS A MILLION TIMES BIGGER THAN HE IS?" He threw, missing completely.

Winry smiled. "You."

That did it.

Ed started throwing snow every which way in his attempt to drown out the little voice in his head, which, in a sing-song voice, was repeating, "You know you're short, she knows you're short…"

Al could not help it. He started laughing.

"Hey, Ed!" Winry called, "It helps if you make the snow into balls!"

That _really_ did it.

Ed clapped his hands and transmuted the snow into a stack of balls that went to his waist.

"Thanks, Winry!" he called back, a smirk on his face.

Winry backed up. "N-no fair!" she stammered. "You can't use alchemy to win! That's cheap!"

"All's fair in love and war, Winry!" Ed grinned. "And this is war!"

He had hesitated just a bit too long, though. Winry had managed to make a snowball and threw as hard as she could. The next thing either of them knew, a very surprised Ed had his face and neck covered in snow. He blinked for a moment, then he felt the cold stuff slide under his jacket and shirt…

"Cold!" he cried, falling to his knees and unzipping his jacket in a frantic attempt to rid himself of the feeling of ice down his chest. He lifted his shirt to brush it away as much as he could, clearing it from his face and neck, as well. Finally, he was done. He straightened, only to find Winry had created her own arsenal.

"You were saying?" she taunted, tossing a snowball between her hands.

It was Ed's turn to back up. He had found new respect for the young automail mechanic, and he was not quite sure that he would be able to survive this attack. He picked up his own ball of snow. "I said that all's fair in love and war, and that this is war. Are you ready to lose, Winry?"

Winry shook her head. "Not in the least. To the fall, Edward Elric."

"To the fall, Winry Rockbell," he responded.

The snowballs –and insults- began to fly again.

TEN MINUTES LATER

Both Ed and Winry were breathing hard, hands on knees and pink-cheeked.

"Truce?" Ed called.

Winry nodded and inched forward. "Truce."

They walked toward the invisible centerline to shake hands, but Winry slipped, falling flat on her face. She looked up and gasped. "Ed, I didin't just lose, did I?"

As much as Ed wanted to win, she fell on a fluke. He deliberated for a moment, finally shaking his head. "No. The truce is still on."

She picked herself up and smiled. "Thanks, Ed."

IN THE HOUSE

"That was a pretty good fight you put up, Winry," Al complimented. "Especially when brother cheat-"

Ed interrupted, "At no time did we say anything about forbidding alchemy! Just physical contact- that's it."

Winry mulled it over. "I think we should ban alchemy."

"Even after you held your own against me?" Ed protested. "Two minutes more and you probably would've won!"

"Really?" Winry was surprised. "I think you're over-estimating me, Ed."

"I don't think I am," he said honestly. "You can beat Al _and_ me when we don't use alchemy, and alchemy goes only so far."

Winry yawned. "I guess. Good night."

"G'night," Ed replied.

"Good night, Winry," Al called after her. As soon as she was out of earshot, he asked, "So why didn't you just use your alchemy to surround her with snow?"

"Physical contact. I'm not completely out to win, Al. It was fun." Ed sipped his cider. "Besides, I could've hurt her, and I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I did." He put his cup in the sink. "G'night, Al."

On his way up the stairs, Ed thought about that afternoon. He probably could have beat Winry in the long run, but that would have meant using alchemy again. Once it had clicked in his head that using alchemy really was a cheap way to win, he had to give up. The truce was his only way to salvage his pride.

Still, it had worked, meeting her half way.

_I should do that more often…_

**A/N: Now Ed's got it down-pat. He knows what to do. I had to put in the thing about all being fair in love and war, because it might have actually been love… but it was war at the time!**

**Hopefully there was more humor in this one. I tried!**


	6. How to Choose Winry's Birthday Present

**The Edward Elric Guide to Getting Winry a Birthday Present**

**A/N: Hey! It's me! Back from the dead... Not really, actually. I've been mourning the fact for about a month that this particular chapter is bad. Well, I had to post something. I felt like I was neglecting it, and I don't want to let this go quite yet, so I'm going to keep trying to update until I hit ten chapters. I promised I would, and I will! (It just might take another week or so until the next update...)**

Ed's birthday had come and gone, and Winry's was fast approaching.

This was a dilemma.

Ed had no idea what to get her.

He could not get her anything to do with automail- that was _far_ too easy, not to mention expected. She had enough earrings to open up a jewelry shop, and most other jewelry would get in the way, anyway. Winry had never harbored a great affection for books unless they were about automail, so that was out of the question. He did not know her clothing size, but if worse came to worse…

_**No**__, Ed. Don't even__** think**__ of it!_ he scolded himself. _Get her something she'll __**never **__get from anyone else again._

But if he could _buy_ it, that would mean that people could get it again. Even flowers and things from custom shops could be recreated. His only choice, then, was to make something.

It annoyed him. He was not a very artistic person, even if his style of alchemy made everyone else suspect otherwise.

SCENE

Al found him puzzling ten minutes later.

"Don't tell me to 'just tell her', Al. I want some serious advice so that I can give her something that she can see and say, 'that's what Ed gave me!' I just have no idea what." Ed sighed. "Why are girls so hard to figure out?"

"They're not _that_ hard if you pay attention, Brother," quipped Al.

Ed darkened. "Al, I don't exactly have time to do that, if you haven't noticed. I'm trying to get our bodies back, or at least yours, and I don't want to die in the process. That requires a pretty high level of concentration." He heaved another heavy sigh and settled on his bed. "I was so stupid. How could I have known, though?"

"This isn't the time to wallow in self-pity, Brother," Al reminded him. "Whatever it is, if you mean it when you give it to her, Winry will appreciate it."

"Not helping, Al." Ed rubbed his forehead. "Why am I asking _you,_ anyway, if it's supposed to come from _me_?"

"That's the idea, Brother," Al encouraged as he left Ed, who groaned louder than ever.

THE NEXT DAY

Having finally thought of something, Ed had crafted it and was submitting it to Al's scrutiny. He watched nervously as Al inspected it closely. The suit of armor did not even poke it, perhaps afraid of it falling apart because of poor craftsmanship.

"She'll love it, Brother," Al decided. "You did really well."

Ed let out a long breath. "You think so?"

Al sounded offended. "You don't trust me, Brother?"

"Well, you're not in love with her the way I am!" Ed hissed. As an after-thought, he turned a suspicious gaze upon his Brother. "Or are you and you're saying that it's great when it's really stupid and-"

"Hey, guys!" Winry popped into the room, startling them both. "It's almost time for the party to begin, and everybody wants to see you! Come on!"

Ed picked himself up off the bed, noticing that Al had hidden the present from view. He made a mental note to thank his younger brother, then grabbed it and stuffed it into a bag he had bought that morning. "C'mon, Al. Time to get this show on the road."

He left the present on the bed. It was partially pride that kept it there, not wanting to embarrass himself in a multitude of ways. However, it was more than just that. It was something that he meant only for her. As cheesy as it sounded and as much as it tied into his embarrassment, it was very true.

It kept on leaking into his thoughts during the party, too. He wished the party would end, because he was missing a bunch of questions and raising other ones as to his health. Even Winry worried over him at one point, though he managed to convince her that he was just taking everything in.

Cake made everyone forget about everything. Pinako had baked, and was not half-bad at it- Ed was reminded of that after his first bite. It was a simple chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, but Ed had a feeling that Gracia Hughes might be the slightest bit envious if she had some.

It was the presents that brought Ed back to his senses. He claimed to have developed a headache and went to lie down, insisting that he would be fine in an hour or so. Of course, he had the feeling that Al knew what his intentions were. Oddly enough, though, there was no attempt made to stop him. There was another thing he would have to thank his younger brother for later.

Being up in his room had one advantage: solitude. There was nothing else different. He still felt embarrassed and worried, and he was tired, anyway. He could get away with sleeping it off, though, so sleep he did.

SCENE

"Ed? Ed…" Winry gently shook his shoulder.

"Eh?" Ed opened his eyes hazily. "What time is it?"

Winry smiled gently. "You've been asleep for an hour or two, I'd guess. You skipped out on the best part, too!"

"Sorry." Sitting up, Ed grabbed the bag from the nightstand. "Here. Happy birthday." _I'm_ _throwing myself to the wolves. What was I __**thinking**__? I should've just bought something!_

Taking it, Winry gently pulled out the present. Her eyes almost instantly filled with tears. "Ed…" she whispered. "I…"

Ed felt relieved. The cheesiness factor had worked in his favor. "You like it?"

Winry nodded. "How did you…?"

"I transmuted the picture onto the card, and imprinted the gold leaf onto the other part of the card," Ed explained. _I hope it doesn't come apart._ He would never admit it, but, due to the fact that it had been put together rather quickly, the workmanship was a little shaky, at least for alchemy.

Tracing the gold letters that spelled "Friends from the start" under the picture of Ed and Al flanking Winry as they slept when they were younger, Winry wiped the tears away with her free hand. "Ed…" she murmured again. She set the card down and tackled Ed without warning, hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much!" she whispered, clutching as tightly as ever.

Ed was blushing madly. He had not expected _this_ much of a reaction, but she was within her rights to do so, he supposed with a twinge of pride. It was luck that he had come up with the idea, and even better luck that he'd had the materials for it. "N-no problem, Win. Happy birthday, again," he gasped, winded from the surprise and intensity of the hug.

Winry sprang back. "Oh! Sorry! I'll go put this in my room now." She hurried out, but Ed saw the faint pink that colored her cheeks as she looked at it again.

Shrugging, he went to find some dinner. Now that he was awake, he was hungry.

LATER ON

Ed leaned against the railing on the deck. The stars blinked, signaling that he should be in bed, and he agreed whole-heartedly.

"Um, Ed?"

"Hm?" he turned, beckoning once for Winry to come over.

Winry was blushing. "Sorry for tackling you like that earlier. That was just… I didn't really expect it. It's not that I don't like it, but Ed… I didn't think you had it in you."

Feeling something poke sharply at his ego, Ed tried to curb the sharpness in his tone. "Come on! I'm plenty creative!"

"Well, I like it, and I suppose that that's what counts," Winry mused.

Ed grinned in a way that was rather self-satisfactory. "Yeah."

They stood there for a few more minutes before Winry yawned. "I'm calling it a night." She headed back in.

"Hey."

She turned, finding Ed's arms slightly open and realizing that he was stepping toward her. "Ed?"

He stopped immediately, eyes widening in realization of something. He dropped the stance and walked into the house. Going past her, he whispered, "Happy birthday, Winry."

_What's going on with him?_ Ed was pretty abnormal as it was, but that seemed almost… normal. She was sure he had been about to say something different, and that stance made her think of something, but she was not sure what. He probably would not tell her if she asked later, so it was probably better to drop it now.

Girls might confuse boys, but Winry had the distinct impression that she was more confused than Ed was.

She did not know just how accurate that was.

**A/N: First off, I really don't like the way this is written. The first little bit is okay, but it goes from bad to worse in the end, even after I edited it! Ugh. I need this one, though, because next one is going to be basically a direct continuation. **

**Wow. It took me a while to type this. I had to make Ed make something for Winry for the reasons stated earlier. I had no idea what it would be for a while, then suddenly, I just thought, "how about a picture that's been modified in some way?" and it went from there.**

**(As you can tell, the above author's notes were typed at least a day apart, second before first.)**


End file.
